19 published records
Business licenses and permits in Odessa, Texas
Ector County. Odessa's Fire Marshal fee schedule prices every operational and construction permit in the International Fire Code against its section number. The Master Permit Fee Schedule that the Building Inspection page links to is dated 16 January 2018 and is still the schedule the city publishes. Food is a two-office job here: under Odessa Code Article 6-6 the Ector County Health Department is the regulatory authority and permits the establishment, and food trucks then also need the city's Mobile Food Vendor Permit. Two documents publish different county food permit fees: Odessa Code § 6-6-32 ($140 to $600 by number of employees) and the county's 6 October 2025 schedule filed with Texas DSHS ($773, or $258 or $515 by gross annual sales), so confirm the amount with the county before paying.
What are you opening in Odessa?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Odessa
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Sprinkler Permitonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | $150 plus $0.03 per square foot | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Fire Alarm Permitonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | $150 plus $0.03 per square foot | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Annual Fire Inspectiononly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | $150 per annual inspection | annual | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $1,000 plus $0.12 per square foot | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Remodel and Finish-Out Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $50 plus $0.10 per square foot | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $100 change of use, owner or name | the fee schedule charges for a new certificate on a change of use, owner or business name | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Electrical Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $50 base plus $0.05 per square foot for complete electrical; a new or replacement service is $30 plus $0.10 per square foot | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Re-inspection Feeonly if it applies to you | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $50–$100 escalating by attempt | per inspection | 2026-10-09 |
| False Alarm Feeonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | $300–$500 after the third false alarm in a calendar year | counted 1 January to 31 December | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Odessa?
Fire Sprinkler Permit
$150 plus three cents a square foot. Odessa's building schedule charges its own fire protection fees on top at $0.03 a square foot for sprinklers, $0.03 for alarms and $100 for suppression — read both schedules before assuming one covers the other.
Fire Alarm Permit
$150 plus three cents a square foot, and the schedule states what that buys: one plan review, a battery test and one acceptance test. The fire sprinkler permit is priced identically and includes one plan review, one underground hydrostatic test or flush and one above-ground hydrostatic test. A suppression system permit is a flat $150 with one plan review and one acceptance test. Fire pumps, standpipes and automatic extinguishing systems are all charged at the fire alarm rate.
Annual Fire Inspection
The Fire Marshal fee schedule lists an annual fire inspection for all commercial businesses at $150. The first re-inspection carries no fee; the second and each one after it are $100. Bars, night clubs and game rooms are listed separately at $300 under TABC license and after-hour establishments.
Commercial Building Permit
A $1,000 base plus twelve cents a square foot for new commercial construction, as published on the city's Master Permit Fee Schedule dated 16 January 2018, which the Building Inspection page links as its current schedule. On a small building the base dominates: a 3,000 sq ft unit computes to $1,360. Plan review is 25% of the permit fee, applied at pick-up. Additions, remodels and finish-outs are cheaper at $50 plus $0.10 a square foot.
Commercial Remodel and Finish-Out Permit
$50 plus ten cents a square foot for additions, remodels and finish-outs, as published on the 16 January 2018 Master Permit Fee Schedule, against a $1,000 base on new commercial construction. A 2,000 sq ft restaurant fit-out computes to $250 in building permit before the trade permits. Plan review is 25% of the permit fee.
Certificate of Occupancy
$100 on a change of use, change of owner or change of business name, as published on the 16 January 2018 Master Permit Fee Schedule, so a rebrand alone triggers the fee. Re-issuing a certificate is $15. A temporary certificate of occupancy is $50, with a $25 extension.
Commercial Electrical Permit
$50 base, then five cents a square foot complete or $0.025 for finish-out or rough-in only. A new or replacement service is $30 plus ten cents a square foot, a temporary power pole $50, and moving or altering a service $50. Solar panel installation is priced by amperage at $0.10 per amp. Light poles are $50 plus $7.50 each for the first ten and $5 each thereafter.
Re-inspection Fee
$50 for the first and second re-inspection, $75 for the third and fourth, and $100 for the fifth and above, as published on the 16 January 2018 Master Permit Fee Schedule. Releasing a stop work order is $100, at the inspector's discretion, and any miscellaneous permit is $50.
False Alarm Fee
The Fire Marshal fee schedule counts false alarms from 1 January to 31 December: the first three carry no fee, the fourth to seventh are listed at $300 and the eighth and over at $500. The count resets on 1 January.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Fire Marshal Fee Schedule (2021 International Fire Code)Odessa Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Master Permit Fee Schedule, 16 January 2018City of Odessa Inspection Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
Who issues business permits in Odessa?
Permitting in Odessa is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Odessa issuing agencies
- City of Odessa Inspection DivisionBuilding permits · Certificates of occupancy · Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits · Demolition and moving permits8 permits
- Odessa Fire Marshal's OfficeFire alarm, sprinkler and suppression permits · Fire construction permits · Fire operational permits · Licensed facility inspections · Annual fire inspections · Mobile food vendor inspection8 permits
- Ector County Health DepartmentFood establishment permits · Mobile food vendor health permits3 permits
Other Texas jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.